What is motivational speaking?

Motivational speaking is the act of delivering a speech, the purpose of which is to convey a message to inspire, motivate and educate the audience to whom the speech is to be delivered.

Motivational speeches come in three forms: The first type employs humor and laughter in the delivery of speeches. The speaker engages the audience by using the age old technique of laughter and humor. The main goal of speakers employing this style is to put the audience at ease by conveying the message in a light manner. Businesses usually employ funny motivational speakers as the front acts in conventions, to set the mood for the event. They are also employed to end the convention so that people would leave the conference with a light heart and a smile on their faces.

The second type of speech is one that is rich in content. They are informative in nature and most businesses hire content rich speakers if they intend to deliver information relevant to the audience present in the event. Seminars on technology and other related matters hire rich content speakers to discuss what’s new with the technology.

The third type of speech is one that takes the form of storytelling. Most inspirational speakers use this type of speech to inspire, excite and motivate others. A good motivational speaker using stories as a means to convey message does not limit himself/herself to the who, what, where, when and why of the story. In fact they focus more on the how. A story is useless as a form of inspirational speech if the “how” or the manner how the issue is resolved is not discussed. Speakers want to inspire others to do an act and if no one dared discuss what the act is, nobody could learn from the story at all.

Who are motivational speakers?

They are often times people who are good at public speaking. They have an innate sense of optimism. They look at things positively and possess their own share of personal motivation. They need to be optimistic if they want to motivate others. They definitely practice what they preach consistently. Motivational speakers also maintain a certain degree of connection with their audience by using the right mix of eye contact, body language and facial expressions. They have good voice quality. This is to ensure that they can be heard by everyone who went in to hear them say what’s on their mind. They know how to catch the audiences’ attention by employing different styles in delivering their speeches.

Why one should hire a motivational speaker?

There are several reasons why companies, groups and associations hire a motivational speaker for their event.

Most businesses hire a motivational speaker when they intend to convey a message to their employees. This is oftentimes called as a pep talk. Companies hire such speakers to talk to their folks, especially when they need to address unfortunate events. Motivational speakers can turn even the most troublesome event into a positive one. Most inspirational speakers also focus on motivating employees whose passion seemed to waver over time. Passion is very important if a business wants to boom and improve positively. Speakers can offer professional advice and a new perspective that employers may not be able to provide.

What to look for in hiring a motivational speaker?

A good speaker should motivate and inspire their audience. They can provide a temporary fix in the form of motivation or a permanent fix in the form of inspiration. They should not just discuss the why and the when but an effective speaker focuses on the how of things.